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Foursquare Android app adds NFC Beam support

While it’s not getting the buzz that it once did, Foursquare is still growing like a weed and doing some innovative things. The latest example is the company making its Android app compatible with NFC in Ice Cream Sandwich and having the check-in service play nice with Android Beam. Phonescoop points out that the updated Foursquare Android app will tie into the Android Beam service by letting you share the places you’ve visiting by tapping your phone with another NFC-enabled Android device. This also includes NFC support for Venue, Lists Read more

Chumkee 2.0 app offers real-time translations of text, videos

I’ve been keeping my eye on the Chumkee app for a while and the team just pumped out the 2.0 version makes it easier for users around the world to connect by including real-time translations of text and videos. The Chumkee app is a social network built around sharing your videos and photos with others. What I really liked about the app before was the flashy user interface which relied heavily on gestures and motions. Luckily, that’s still here in the 2.0 version and the new features make it an Read more

Motorola Droid 4 now available from Verizon for $199 with two-year contract

Hey Verizon people, today’s the day you can grab yourself a Droid 4, an Android handset with an awesome QWERTY keyboard. The 5-row, edge-lit keyboard is a dream to use. The handset also packs a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, a 4.0-inch qHD display, an 8-megapixel camera with 1080P HD recording, front-facing camera for video chats, 1GB of RAM, 16 GB internal storage, 4G LTE and Android 2.3.5. The handset is on the short list to get Android 4.0 Ice Cream sandwich sometime in the near future. Think of the Droid Read more

Kelly Hodgkins

Vonage Mobile app takes on Skype with free international calling, texting

Vonage truly was an innovative company when it first popped on the scene and went after home telephone providers with VoIP services but as more and more customers cut the cord, it has to pivot in order to stay relevant. The new Vonage Mobile app for iOS and Android may be that move, as the app offers free voice calls and texting around the world. Like Skype, users who have the Vongage Mobile app installed can make free calls or texts to each other around the globe (data rates apply). Read more

Pinball Arcade launches for iOS and Android devices; World’s best mobile pinball?

A company called FarSight Studios unveiled Pinball Arcade for iOS and Android devices, touting it is as the world’s best mobile pinball. That’s kinda bold claim when we know Zen Pinball is rock solid — and something FarSight justifies with its licensed pinball tables from Bally, Williams, Gottlieb and Stern. The game is launching with four tables, including Tales of the Arabian Nights, Ripley’s Believe It or Not, Theatre of Magic, and Black Hole. And that’s just a start, with two new pinball tables set to be added to the Read more

Motorola Gleam+ is a RAZR-like clamshell

Motorola launched a successor of its RAZR-like Gleam clamshell, simply called Gleam+. That “plus” is well deserved since the new device looks much better than the original Gleam model. Moreover, specs are also bumped up, though at its core Gleam+ remains a feature phone. Speaking of specs, this fancy fella’ rocks a 2.8-inch WQVGA (240×400 pixels) internal display, external screen comprised of 144 LEDs, 2-megapixel camera with fixed focus, Bluetooth 2.1, FM radio, 3.5mm headset jack, and 50MB of built-in storage that is further expandable with microSD memory cards. Moto Read more

Dell launches Fongo-powered VoIP service in Canada – Dell Voice

Just selling computers isn’t good enough for Dell. The company wants a piece of the ever-growing VoIP market and has launched its own such offering in Canada. Dubbed Dell Voice, the new service is powered by Fongo, providing users with a Canadian phone number and the ability to make free calls to numbers in 30 large metropolitan areas, including Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, as well as hundreds of smaller cities. Incoming calls from Canada are free as well, while international calls are competitively priced — i.e. cheaper than Skype. Read more

Nvidia to showcase the world’s first quad-core smartphone at MWC 2012?

NVidia has started sending out invites for its press conference at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 27. Details are scarce at the moment, but since it says “Nvidia quad-core firsts continue at MWC,” it’s kinda safe to bet we’ll see the world’s first smartphone with a quad-core processor unveiled at that time. When you think about it, world’s first quad-core tablet is already out (Asus Transformer Prime), hinting us Nvidia is talking about something else. And what else could that be but a phone. According to some Read more

Samsung Star 3 hits the UK as the Toco Lite 2

So you want an affordable all-touchscreen feature phone? You may have seen the Samsung Star 3, successor of the super-popular Star II S5260, that will hit the UK in March under the name of Samsung Toco Lite 2. Specs wise, this little fella’ comes with a 3-inch QVGA display, 3.2-megapixel camera, EDGE and Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth 3.0, and a microSD memory card slot. In terms of preloaded apps, there’s a web browser, Samsung’s ChatON messaging service, social networking clients, email app — all easily accessible through TouchWiz Lite UI. At Read more

UK: Toshiba AT200 available exclusively through Carphone Warehouse starting at 399 GBP

Not sure that many folks dig Toshiba’s tablets, but then again – I may be wrong. We gotta give it to the Japanese company for their super-thin (7.7mm) AT200 model (aka Excite X10) that makes the iPad and many other Android tablets feel too bulky. And now this handsome device is available in the UK, with the Carphone Warehouse scoring the exclusive launch deal. The 16GB tablet could be yours for 399 GBP (about $633), while the 32GB version is selling for 50 GBP more (449 GBP ~ $712). Specs Read more

Priceline.com updates its Hotel Negotiator app with Tonight-Only Deals

We’ve already told you about the priceline Hotel Negotiator app, which is available for iOS and Android-based devices. Like the current hotel deals listed in the application are not enough, the company is introducing new Tonight-Only Deals, offering discounts of up to 35% off published prices. In other words, you can think of these offers to be similar to Hotel Tonight’s offering. These super-hot deals for 3-star and 4-star hotel rooms are available in cities around the country, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Ft. Lauderdale, Honolulu, Houston, Las Vegas, Read more

History of mobile app stores [infographic]

ShoutEm prepared a neat infographic to provide us with a history overview of most popular mobile app stores in the world — including Google’s Android Market, Apple’s iPhone App Store, Nokia’s Ovi Store, RIM’s BlackBerry App World and Microsoft’s Windows Phone Marketplace. Sure enough some app stores are more successful than others, with Apple’s service offering more apps and games than any other store. Here’s how it all comes together… Click on the image above to enlarge it.

PON is a touted as the strongest, most versatile smartphone mount

Like to support new product development? Need a smartphone mount? Check out the PON, one of the projects at Kickstarter, created with a mission to provide the “strongest, most versatile mounting system to harness the full potential of smartphone technology in all applications of everyday life.” Bold words, but the product behind them is bold as well. As a matter of fact, it’s CNC machined from single block aerospace grade aluminum, and can work with just about any smartphone on the market, while allowing access to all phone functions and Read more

Consumers may love the iPhone, but carriers hate it

Ever wonder why when you walk into a carrier store, they always subtly (or in some cases, not so subtly) try to push you toward buying an Android device? The reason is because even though Apple requires a grandiose display of the iPhone, carriers make much more money off of Android phones. Carriers pay Apple the subsidy that is able to keep the iPhone down to its $199 price point even after cramming in loads of new features in every release. For Apple, this is good. For consumers, this is Read more